Threats include everything from small scale email scams to sophisticated large scale attacks launched for political, economic or criminal reasons.

Ms Smith, who was given her job as Cabinet Office minister in the recent reshuffle, said: “I’m responsible for acting in a coordinating role for cyber security. Of course all of government takes it very seriously, but the Cabinet Office performs a coordinating role in the middle.

“Cyber security means making Britain a safer place to do business, making sure that the government and individuals are safe from cyber threats. But it is also a great opportunity to help British businesses grow on a very interesting and fast moving sector.

“Threats can come from a number of sources; that can be acts from other states, but it can also be criminal activity against a business or individuals in terms of their personal details.”

Ms Smith’s role will see her coordinating the action of all government departments, but in particular of the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier this year the military admitted cyber criminals had managed to hack into some of the MoD’s top secret computer systems, that the number of cyber attacks on government computers was increasing and that the UK itself was involved in developing cyber weapons.

Perhaps the most famous cyber attack to date is the ‘Stuxnet’ strike which saw an implanted computer programme damage centrifuges used by the Iranian government to enrich uranium.

Ms Smith said: “It can also include ‘hacktivism’, and that means situations in which a group seeks to hack into systems belonging to a government, business or people for a particular purpose, for example to carry out some sort of political campaign.

“People will be aware of some of instances where some firm’s website has been brought down by that kind of activity.”

The hacking group called ‘Anonymous’ came to prominence when it launched online attacks in support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in December 2010, after his website published secret US government diplomatic cables.

Meanwhile this year the group claimed to have brought down the websites of Downing Street and the Home Office in protest at the handling of Assange’s bid to avoid extradition to Sweden.

Ms Smith’s first task will be to look at the country’s Cyber Security Strategy this November and see if it is up to date.

Her job in the Cabinet Office also sees her take on responsibility for constitutional reform, including looking at issues like the recall of MPs. Meanwhile she will oversee the government’s drive for efficiency and reform in the civil service.

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Ingo, Bill Gates is one of the main funders of GMO and vaccines to bring down the world population, he is well placed as he controls Microsoft. Google have recently sold out to allow searches to be tracked, encryption doesn't work on google.

UK is shamefully following the US, the next step is to track people's activity on the internet. Not for terrorist type activity as they will claim, but for those exposing the drug, food and agrochemical industries, over the dangers of vaccines, untested drugs, GMO's and food additives. All these are starting to get blown apart in the US and the pharmachemical companies are pouring $millions into stopping it. Look up 'Proposition 37'

Honest John, there are plenty of open source applications that encrypt, you can run linux debian, or Ubuntu and attach an encryption, the more encrypt the sooner they will forget about it. It would take them a week to de crypt a shopping list. TOR is the tops, somewhat slower but very safe. Windoze is a sieve that is easy manipulated, just as Chloe will be.

Honest John, there are plenty of open source applications that encrypt, you can run linux Debian, or Ubuntu and attach an encryption, the more of us use encryption the sooner they will forget about it. It would take them a week to de crypt a shopping list. TOR is the tops, somewhat slower but a very safe operation system. Windoze is a sieve that is easy manipulated, just as Chloe will be.

Tis is teh main problem with Poloticians running the country, they have no idea and that's why we are in the mess we are in. Better to bring in some expert's to deal with the day to day running of the country who are interested in doing the job not in being famous or grabbing what they can for themselves.

Is this an internship? Newsnight fame seems to enable people and land them with the most 'important' jobs. Anonymous will be sooo scared now, indeed they might just chuck it all in hearing this news....:)

Good to see one of the area's MPs is doing well enough to get noticed. On the other hand, Richard Bacon (Emperor Nero) has done nothing since the last election, yet has recieved over half a million of taxpayers pounds in salary and expenses. Why has he not been forced to resign?